Aaron Sorkin The Newsroom

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Risible, witty, and engaging, Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom,” an HBO production starring Jeff Daniels as the short-tempered, irascible yet highly intelligent Will McAvoy, is set in the recent past predicated on the premise that news in contemporary America is seriously flawed, lacking depth as they fail to inform the American electorate of “real” news stories because of a preoccupation with ratings and entertainment. In the first two seasons of the show, Sorkin covered events ranging from the BP oil spill, to the shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, to the covert mission Navy SEALS took on in order to assassinate Osama Bin Laden. While “the Newsroom” does have some endemic flaws—including the assumption that anyone who disagrees …show more content…

The genius of this approach lies in the interrogative structure—devoid of explicit pedantry—in which a witty and unrelenting lawyer, brilliantly portrayed by Marcia Gay Harden, deposes the main characters in the show regarding the monumental error. Through this narrative structure, Sorkin employs a very stylized dialogue and script that invoked certain articulacy conventions, as the characters never hesitate when unabashedly expressing their opinions. While the dialogue may not sound realistic despite the fact that the show is based on covering how newsrooms function behind the scenes, it nonetheless demonstrates a high level of intelligence and complexity. The characters constantly question each other and engaging in dialogue, which drives the narrative and the inevitable conclusion. Ultimately, the newsroom in filled with fervent and intelligent journalists who value facts and truths over advertisement objectives and ratings. Sorkin also manages to deal with issues related to gender within the workplace that often gets …show more content…

The show thus conveys the idea that the majority of Americans are preternaturally stupid as a result of being fed propaganda from various news outlets. Journalism should have informative value, yet Will has transformed from a news anchor considered about engaging in meaningful dialogue to one who tries not to bother anyone with his personal opinions. Thus, there is a moralizing element in the show that finds social currency in disseminating the truth during an epoch mired by the dissemination of false information. The show’s unforgettable opening scene in which Will delivers a painfully true tirade when he is forced to answer the question of why America is the greatest country in the world. Will snaps, exclaiming that America is not the greatest country in the world as evident through the plethora of failings it must reconcile in order to truly be the leaders of the free world. His speech draws the ire of politicians and journalists alike, yet it is remarkably uplifting for all those who watch it as it aims at divorcing viewers from misconceptions about the place of American in the free world. During an epoch when television shows focus the subject matter on melodramatic relationships and drug use, Sorkin proffers a breath of fresh air in television

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